One More Mission
by deejaymcknight
Summary: It's been two years since Nikita dropped off the face of the Earth. The rest of the team has split up, leaving Alex to scour the globe for her former mentor. Now that she's found her, she aims on helping her break that pesky habit of putting her life on the line too much. [[Eventual Alkita/Nalex. Just letting you know this now]]
1. Lost and Found

This'll probably be a multi chapter fic, depending on the feedback it gets.

* * *

Two years. It had been two years since the afternoon they blew up Division. Two years since Nikita left her ring on the windowsill and went off in search of Amanda and her new 'friends. It had also been two years since Alex had drained the rest of the Udinov fortune that was in her name to find her former mentor turned best friend. The rest of the team went into hiding after their names were released as accomplices to the woman who murdered the president. Michael had tried to push personal feelings aside but it proved to be too much to handle for him. Alex didn't blame him, things didn't look good and like or not, he had Max to think about. A new ID and some money were her parting gifts to him, with a wish of good luck being their final goodbye. Birkoff and Sonya had taken off to the west and had settled somewhere in California last she'd heard while Ryan went north for Canada. To the world, they were dead and to the world she was changing lives. But only one life was in her forefront of her mind now.

Under the guise of working with the U.N she was able to keep tabs on the goings on around the world. Especially the ones that seemed out of place to someone who didn't know what they were looking for. Random attacks on facilities that were quiet for the most part. Survivors were always slim to none and the convenience of each place coinciding the The hand facilities they'd learned of was just too much to overlook. She knew it was Nikki. Two years since Alex had laid eyes on the older woman and she finally had a location.

"One more mission, Nik. And then we're out of here." She spoke to an empty office as she turned off the computer glowing with information in front of her and slipped away from the building in silence. One more mission, famous last words, she knew but that was the thing. Alex knew she wouldn't stop until Nikita was safe and with her once again. If that meant that she was risking her like well then so be it because she couldn't think of a better reason to risk it.

Stepping down from her position had been a tough decision, but it was one that she knew she had to make. If she was going to do this alone, she was going to be getting into some dangerous things. Things that wouldn't bode well with the U.N, or for an advisor who was supposed to be speaking out for those who were mistreated. She would be mistreating a hell of a lot of people, those who deserved it but none the less, Alexandra Udinov had to be laid to rest once more; for Alex to be reborn. Alex who'd taken lives, Alex who helped take down a secret government branch that no one was aware of. Alex who owed her life to Nikita a dozen times over, and the very same Alex who was going to be repaying that debt soon.

She felt like she'd been traveling for days, and in truth she probably had been but if she knew Nikki (and she did) she would be watching flights somehow. If she saw an alias that even remotely reminded her of the Russian girl Nikki would take off and she'd be back at square one, forever believing that she was responsible for the girl for the rest of her life. Alex knew this was her fight though, this wasn't _their _fight and she understood that, but reclaiming the Udinov name had been _her _fight, and Nikita was there from start to finish none the less. For that? She would lend the help that she knew would be needed, even if it wasn't exactly asked for.

South Africa was hot, hotter than the brunette was used to with her cold blooded build. It wasn't intolerable but she wasn't looking forward to getting used to it, knowing she would probably have to if she knew the stubbornness that came with her former mentor. She wasn't planning on talking her out of this fight, but she _was_ planning to convince her to focus her attention on the original goal; to color in the big picture afterwards. It would keep her off The Hand's radar whatever good that would do and give them a chance to make up a plan to get Amanda once and for all.

Her two years with the U.N made her a lot of contacts. More than her time in Division had given her. A few meetings with some of the ones littered around the cluster of towns and cities she'd been led to and she had an address. It was almost laughable, a loft long abandoned in the middle of a bustling city. She always went back to what was comfortable when she was alone and Alex couldn't have been more thankful for this fact. When her ride dropped her off a few blocks from the building and she began the careful walk towards it, she felt her nerves kick in. This was the first time since she decided to take this on that she actually felt nervous. She wasn't going away, she wasn't leaving Nikita alone to do this, but she couldn't be sure what kind of reception she'd get from the woman. Would she welcome her with open arms? Would it be a cold indifference? A bullet maybe? One can never be too sure when it came to Nikki.

Icy blue eyes scanned the perimeter and she sighed, rubbing her hand against the back of her neck. No cameras. This meant that the reception she'd get would be something less than friendly until Nikita saw who it was, she was blind in there, and Alex highly doubted that she was a social butterfly in this place. Slinging her bag and adjusting her sunglasses a bit she continued on, stepping up to the door with a steady breath. She didn't have a chance to knock though, as it flew open and she was pulled in, back pressed against the door moments later as her breath all but left her body.

One slightly darker than she remembered hand gripped at her tanktop, holding it tight as the cold metal of a gun rested against her temple and dark eyes stared back at her. It was as if everything registered at once, for the both of them. The gun came down and Alex's hands came up to pull at her sunglasses in case they did that good of a job at hiding who she actually was.

"Alex..."

"Hey partner."


	2. Saving Grace

Thank you for all of your positive feedback, a new chapter will be up as soon as I figure out where I want to go from here.

* * *

It seemed as though the words had taken a few seconds to fully register as Alex felt the had clutching her shirt begin to loosen. She let out a breath, slow and steady as she kept her eyes locked on the woman in front of her, trying to read whatever she could in the silence that filled the air. Nikita was a hard woman to read, she was a hard woman to understand even when she threw everything out for you to see as well. Having the gun away from her head was a welcome relief though, she had to be upfront about that much.

"How did you find me?" was asked, followed instantly with "Where are the others?" before the brunette even had a chance to answer. She watched the gun get tucked behind Nikki's back before a hand resting on her arm and gave her a gentle tug to move deeper into the loft. She knew these questions, as well as a dozen others would be thrown at her if she hadn't been shot on sight so with a breath she followed and dropped her bag as soon as they stopped walking.

Now that they were in a room that shed a bit more light around them, she had a chance to actually look at Nikita. Her features were the same, a few barely there scars might've been added but nothing too drastic. She looked tired, more tired than Alex had ever seen her before but she was alive and that was the important thing. Realizing that she hadn't answered in a few minutes she finally spoke up. "You know, a U.N employee can get their hands on some pretty decent intel with just a few clicks of a mouse." She watched the older woman's face once more, seeing a flash of what looked like pride go across it for a moment before it was gone and she waited for the next answer. Of course she'd be concerned for their friends, it was Nikita after all.

"Everyone's okay. They've all been laying low and keeping their heads down. I haven't spoken to any of them in a few weeks but trust me, Nik. They're okay." As an afterthought she brought a hand up to rest on the woman's shoulder. "He's alright. I made sure of it." They both knew who she was talking about, there was no need to go into more detail than that and almost instantly she could see the last bit of worry drain from the face in front of her.

One of Nikita's hands came up, squeezing the one on her shoulder before letting it rest there for the time being. "What are you doing here, Alex?" There was almost a sigh to her voice as she spoke. It wasn't that she wasn't happy to see her former partner, she was elated. To know she'd taken up the offer to help out at the U.N sent a feeling through her body that she had only experienced when she managed to get people out of the facilities that she raided. Alex was doing good for the world, just as Nikita always knew she would do if given the chance. Her biggest fear when she left, other than the rest of them following her was the girl falling back into the life she'd found before the former rogue had stepped in. If she'd lost Alex to drugs, especially after everything that had happened before they finished off Division, she wasn't entirely sure what she would've done, but she could be sure that it wouldn't have been pretty.

She couldn't figure out why she was here though, even after she found out how she'd been found. It sounded like the Russian had everything sorted out for herself back in the States. Everyone was safe, she was doing good for the world and yet here she was in the middle of nowhere standing in her damn loft like absolutely no time had passed. Nikita could see the two years on the girl's face though. Not in a bad way, not even slightly, but she could see them. Her features had sharpened a bit, the remnants of the innocent baby face that had remained the last time they were face to face were nowhere to be found.

"I know you're still after Amanda. But...you're going about it all wrong, Nik." The words were soft now that the tension had died down after their less than formal greeting to one another. A brow raised, urging the girl to continue speaking. "We were getting reports of supposed trafficking warehouses getting hit in areas that weren't all that known. I knew the names, the places. They were the facilities we were tipped off to. Everyone else just thought it was liberators and left it alone but if I can pick out the pattern then so can other people."

Well. At least she hadn't lost the bluntness that Nikita so very fondly remembered.

The dark haired woman sighed, shaking her head as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Alex, you can't just drop everything to come out here and play superhero. I've got everything under control. I have a plan." So maybe that last part was a blatant lie and maybe she knew that the girl picked up on it judging solely by her facial expression but Nikita would be damned if she admitted that she was running in blind nowadays.

"Oh? Is it a five year plan?" Alex almost scoffed, but found herself softening with a small grin at the eyes now narrowed at her. "You'd do the exact same thing if the roles were reversed and besides. I've never been good at sitting on my ass..._or _public speaking really. I want to be out there, in the middle of it all. And while I know you're doing this for Amanda...you're helping a hell of a lot more people then I ever could behind a desk. So..I'm here to help. Whether or not you'll accept it."

Nothing was said for a bit between either of them. The silence was a bit stifling, though it could've also been the heat that surrounded the building but nonetheless. Alex had nothing to say anymore and Nikita was digesting what was said to her. She knew how stubborn the blue eyed girl could be, she'd experienced said stubbornness first had more times than she could count and she knew that there wouldn't be much talking her out of this.

If she had to be completely honest with herself, she missed having someone there with her. Nights were quiet, missions were terrifying and things were becoming too hard for just one person to handle. It felt like her mission against Division all over again and once more, there was Alex as her saving grace. She knew it was the truth and she knew she'd be stupid to deny the help no matter how nervous it made her to think of Alex out in the line of fire again. The girl was good, she was extremely good; but she was young. She had a life ahead of her still; and while Nikki had one as well...this was her fight. If she went down she went down for something she believed in, not because she trusted someone and decided they'd help them.

Instead of protesting like she knew that she should, Nikita smiled. Eventually the smile turned into a broad grin and she brought her hand from the one on her shoulder to Alex's shoulder. "And I suppose you're gonna be the one who swoops in with some amazing plan now, right?" She asked, her other hand coming up to the other shoulder before she pulled the girl into a tight embrace, realizing only now just how much she'd missed her.

The hug caught Alex off guard but she wouldn't lie and say she didn't miss it, melting into it almost instantly as her arms wrapped around the taller woman moments later. She laughed, eyes shut to will away her tears of happiness as she let out a sigh and shook her head. "I'm working on it. But either way, you aren't alone anymore." Her words fell into whisper as she hugged Nikita that much tighter to convey her thoughts a little bit stronger.

"Thank you." Was all she received in response before they fell into a more comfortable silence than before, allowing the embrace to continue long after the words fell.


	3. An Actual Plan

Annnd we're back, ladies and gents. Sorry for the delay, lack of muse has hit all of my stories.

* * *

While neither woman wanted to pull away, the South African heat got the better of them and eventually they were their own person again. Alex allowed one of the arms of her sunglasses fold against her tanktop, a hand running through her hair to push it out of the way and maybe give her some relief from the heat.

"You couldn't settle somewhere crisp, could you?" She finally spoke again, earning a laugh from Nikita who just shook her head and picked up the bag the younger girl had disregarded.

Placing it on the couch in her main room of operations she turned, focusing her attention on her house guest turned new/old roommate. "Not everyone love the frigid temperatures, Lex. That's just you. Besides. Optimal tanning on the roof. You should try it, you're looking a bit pale. No offense."

A look was thrown her way that could've put a fire out, but she simply smirked in response. Once the glare began to warm up a bit she spoke once again. "The last few places I 'liberated' led me to a facility a few hours away from the border. From what I gathered, it's where all the big names are...including Amanda now. She's moved up in the ranks."

Alex took the information and nodded slowly, licking her lips as she dropped down next to her bag and stared up at Nikita. "So...what're you planning to do. That place is going to be riddled with guards." If she said going in guns blazing, the brunette would most likely hit her. Hard.

"Strike when they're away from the guards. Obviously." '_Yes, because things are always obvious with you, Nik.' _ Thought Alex as she sighed and shook her head.

"You make it sound like they go for daily walks around town patting children on the head and giving them candy. They have protection details, don't they?" She knew that look she was getting in return. The 'Alex please, it's me.' look that usually meant Nikita knew what she was going to do about that. "...and you have a way around that pesky detail don't you?"

"Funny you should ask, I do." Without another word she was gone, somewhere deeper into the loft. She wasn't away long however, coming back with a laptop as she typed some commands in and let it rest on the coffee table in front of Alex. "There's a window. A tiny one, where the guards change shifts. It's not until they're at their safehouse...which before you ask, no I haven't found yet. Still working on that part. They're a tricky bunch, they only leave the compound every couple of weeks. I've got it narrowed down to an approximate twenty mile radius, though." It was her turn to run her fingers through her hair, sitting beside the laptop on the coffee table as she locked eyes with Alex.

She could feel the gaze on her, as heavy and important as it always had been. She knew it was her turn to speak, to add to the plan, something. "Twenty miles is a lot of ground to cover on your own. Without an eye in the sky at least. Wouldn't happen to have a chopper hidden in the loft, would you?" A lopsided grin was returned to the one she threw Nikita's way. Blowing out a long stream of air she sat forward and glanced at the area that was highlighted.

"I might be able to get us some eyes in there. Just enough to catch any activity, maybe narrow it down a little bit. The place seems pretty desolate. If they see any movement they can report back to us and we can take it from there." Alex used this time to look up at a silent Nikita, eyes still studying her though she'd broken away from the stare before she started speaking. "I, made some friends at the U.N. When we cracked down on a trafficker, people asked how they could repay us. I kept numbers." She shrugged, it was no big deal. She had connections and she was going to start cashing in on them now. Nikita still didn't say anything, but her eyes lit up just a little bit. As though a new spark hit them, a spark that hadn't been there before this information had been dropped.

All this time she had been alone, and she had done well enough for herself but every lead she managed to get happened to be a dead end, or some dummy facility that had a couple dozen workers and even less people she could save. Each time she walked out she was standing a little less proud, her shoulders weren't as squared and her head hung more and more. She wouldn't give up, she'd long forgotten that term, but it was running her ragged trying to get something she could go off of. The last place she'd been at had information, valuable information that would actually help, but she'd been sitting on it for nearly a month already. No attacks after that one, she couldn't afford to smoke them out when she was by herself.

But then Alex showed up. She offered help, contacts, company, things that Nikita sorely lacked out here. All of the people she'd had helping her had long moved on or did what they could and while she would forever be thankful for them...this was the help she'd needed. Would she admit it out loud? Hell no, she was far too prideful for that...but it was refreshing to not have to be the only one formulating a plan in a war that she now realized she wouldn't win on her own.

Alex calling her name shook her out of the daze she'd been in, shaking her head a few times to focus on the young woman sitting in front of her with a bit of worry swirling in those mesmerizing blue eyes of hers. "Sorry, lost myself for a second. Can you trust these people?" She received a nod in return and nodded back. "Good. Get in touch with them, let them know what they're doing and tell them to be careful preparing. We'll let them know specific coordinates and everything soon. Not yet though. It's still too early and we might only have one shot at this. Last thing we need to do is spook them into hiding."

The brunette nodded, already on her phone typing something out that Nikita couldn't see from her perch on the coffee table. After a minute or two she was done, pocketing the phone once more before shrugging. "Network of burners. No trace. No money trail. Texts are easier, no one can overhear anything. Guess being a mole in a secret government agency gives you some useful skills for the future." This time she grinned, seeing Nikki smile at what she'd said.

"Looks like you had a good teacher. Taught you well." She sat back, a bit proud of herself for molding the former drug addict into what she was today. Or at least, proud of her part. Most of this was all Alex. She had taken the things that she was given over the past few years and shaped herself into the woman sitting in front of her. It was a big change from the scrawny teenager screaming in a hotbox as the older woman willed herself not to cry from what she was doing to her.

Alex chuckled softly, rifling through her bag until she found an outfit similar to what she was already wearing, switching out her jeans for a pair of yoga pants instead. Standing up she draped the clothes over her arm and looked down at the still seated woman. "Best teacher I could ever ask for. Quite the looker as well. Made the long nights of coding suck just a _little _bit less." She threw a wink in for good measure and leaned down, planting a kiss to the top of Nikki's head before standing up straight once more. "I'm gonna grab a shower, traveling under the radar does horrible things to the hair. I'll figure out my way around. No heroics before I get back, okay?" Her brow kinked before she walked away, off into the loft to find the bathroom.

The entire thing threw Nikita for a loop. Sure, Alex had always been a bit on the bold side, but as forward as that? She didn't remember that. Was it a bad thing? No not really, in fact it fit this new Alex that she'd been introduced to. Two years is a long time to be away from someone who you'd spent three years side by side with. As the room fell silent and she was left alone with her thoughts once more, Nikita felt a sinking feeling in her chest. Like she was alone again. That she had been dreaming this whole thing up and she'd be waking up to an empty loft any second now with a pounding headache and a tear streaming down her face.

She'd concocted many situations like this while she slept. Someone from the team coming in to help, making her feel like she actually had a shot and them _wham _she'd be awake and it would've all been fake. It wasn't as bad as the continuous loop of nightmares that left someone from her past dead because of her. Those were the worst, and they were always just out of reach. Silently, she swore to herself that if this was a dream that she'd get to Alex before someone hurt her. This wouldn't end like the other ones when it ended. She just had to wait for herself to wake up and then everything would go back to the empty loft and empty plans that she'd been used to. She could handle it, she'd gotten used to it.

"Found you!" She heard from behind her and that's when she realized that she _wasn't _alone and that Alex _was _in fact here (and had apparently found the bathroom) and for the first time in almost two years she allowed herself to let out a breath of relief.

* * *

**A/N:**I know it's a bit strange having Alex in the role that she's in (all on top of things and whatnot) but two years with the tools that Nikita gave her turned into someone who can think for themselves and make plans and whatnot. It's just a bit of character development that I've always wanted to explore. But just know, there'll be no 'leader' in this. They're a team, as it always should be!

Review even if you hated it.


End file.
